The Path of Love

137 Pages·2000·0.72 MB·English

by  Meher Baba

© 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963,
1964, 1965, 1967, 1969 by The Universal Spiritual League in
America, Inc.
© 1976 by Adi K. Irani
© 2000 by Avatar Meher Baba Public Perpetual Charitable Trust
All rights reserved.
Printed in the USA by Sheriar Press, Inc.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopy, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission
of the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief
passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a
magazine, newspaper, or broadcast. For information write: Sheriar
Foundation, Post Office Box 1612, North Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina 29598, USA.
ISBN 1-880619-23-7
CONTENTS

FOREWORD
A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF MEHER BABA
ONE: GOD AND GOD-MAN 1
God and the Creation 3
God as Truth 4
God as Bliss 6
The Universal Message 7
The Unconscious Infinite "I" 8
God 9
Fore-knowledge 9
Omnipresence 10
On Being the Avatar 11
On Being Silent 12
Meher Baba's Call 12
I Am the Son of God the Father
and God the Mother in One 17
There is Only ONE 19
The Circles of the Avatar 20
Action and Inaction 26
The Highest of the High 28
TWO: ASPECTS OF THE PATH 37
Baba Explains 39
Knowledge and Imagination 39
Mind Must Go 46
Man-O-Nash 56
Bhakti Yoga 57
Love and God-Love 67
The Aura and the Halo 71
Real Birth and Real Death 76
Fana 77
On the Living Dead 78
Planes of Consciousness in the Next Incarnation 83
The Inexorable "Must" 84
The Play of Ego 85
On Split Ego or Split "I" 89
THREE: THE ART OF DISCIPLESHIP 93
Twelve Ways of Realizing Me 95
The High Roads to God 97
Dissertation on Love 98
Sahavas 100
Seven Sahavas Sayings 101
On Obedience 103
Surrender 105
The Lover and the Beloved 106
Love and Devotion 106
Love is the Remedy 107
My Wish 108
How to Love God 109
On Baba's Work 110
How to Escape Illusion 111
The Master's Prayer 113
The Prayer of Repentance 114
On Worry 114
Baba's Sermon 118
My Dear Children 120
My Dear Workers 121
The Spiritual Potential of the Film World 124
The Song of the New Life 127
A Prayer for Baba's Lovers 129
FOREWORD
Meher Baba has said,
“I have come
not to teach
but to awaken.”
Nevertheless, throughout the years, Meher Baba, the silent
Avatar of the age, dictated on his alphabet board, and through
his own unique mudrasor hand gestures, a great deal of materi-
al about the various aspects of the Spiritual Path and its goal –
God-Realization. Much of this material he gave to the Awakener
Magazine, founded in 1953 to carry his message of love and
truth to the West. It is this material which we have the privilege
of reprinting here.
While reading it, one must bear in mind that Meher Baba’s
viewpoint is not that of an ordinary philosopher, thinker, or even
advanced soul on the Path. His point of view is that of one who
has realized the truth of God’s Infinite Knowledge, Power, and
Bliss. I believe it is for this reason his words not only teach, but
awaken. One can absorb them on the intellectual level and gain
wisdom; one can be inspired by them on the intuitive level and
get a taste of that amritor divine bliss which the Shining Ones
insist is our ultimate inheritance.
FILISFREDERICK
Editor, The Awakener Magazine
October, 1975
A Short Biography of Meher Baba

Merwan Sheriar Irani, known as Meher Baba, was born in
Poona, India, on February 25, 1894, of Persian parents. His
father, Sheriar Irani, was of Zoroastrian faith and a true seeker of
God. Merwan went to a Christian high school in Poona and
later attended Deccan College. In 1913, while in college, a
momentous event occurred in his life . . . the meeting with
Hazrat Babajan, an ancient Mohamedan woman and one of
the five Perfect Masters of the Age. Babajan gave him God-
Realization and made him aware of his high spiritual destiny.
Eventually he was drawn to seek out another Perfect
Master, Upasni Maharaj, a Hindu who lived in Sakori. During
the next seven years Maharaj gave Merwan "Gnosis" or Divine
Knowledge. Thus Merwan attained spiritual Perfection. His
spiritual mission began in 1921 when he drew together his first
close disciples. It was these early disciples who gave him the
name Meher Baba, which means "Compassionate Father."
After years of intensive training of his disciples, Meher
Baba established a colony near Ahmednagar that is called
Meherabad. Here the Master's work embraced a free school
where spiritual training was stressed, a free hospital and dispen-
sary, and shelters for the poor. No distinction was made between
the high castes and the untouchables; all mingled in common
fellowship through the inspiration of the Master. To his disciples
at Meherabad, who were of different castes and creeds, he gave a
training of moral discipline, love for God, spiritual understand-
ing and selfless service.
Meher Baba told his disciples that from July 10, 1925 he
would observe Silence. From that day until he dropped the body
on January 31, 1969, he maintained this Silence. His many
spiritual discourses and messages have been dictated by means of
an alphabet board. Much later the Master discontinued the use
of the board and reduced all communication to hand gestures
unique in expressiveness and understandable to many.
Meher Baba traveled to the Western world six times, first
in 1931, when he contacted his early Western disciples. His last
visit to America was in 1958 when he and his disciples stayed at
the Center established for his work at Myrtle Beach, S.C.
In India as many as one hundred thousand people came
in one day to seek his Darshan, or blessing; many from all over
the world journeyed to spend a few days, even a single day, in
his presence.
An important part of Meher Baba's work through the years
was to personally contact and to serve hundreds of those known
in India as "masts." These are advanced pilgrims on the spiritu-
al path who have become spiritually intoxicated from direct
awareness of God. For this work he traveled many thousands
of miles to remote places throughout India and Ceylon. Other
vital work was the washing of the lepers, the washing of the feet
of thousands of poor and the distribution of grain and cloth
to the destitute.
Meher Baba has asserted that he is the same Ancient One,
come again to redeem man from his bondage of ignorance and
to guide him to realize his true Self which is God. He is acknowl-
edged by his many followers all over the world as the Avatar of
the Age. Meher Baba said, "I had to come, and I have come. I
am the Ancient One."
ONE
God and God-Man
Meher Baba has elucidated many of the fine
points of the ultimate goal of the creation–
God-Realization. He has explained how man
becomes God, after the long journey of evolving
and involving consciousness; and also how God,
uniquely and periodically, becomes man– Avatar,
Messiah or Rasool. In essence the consciousness
of all Perfect Ones is one and the same; but the
burden and duty of the Avatar is greater in
circumference. It is for this reason that His effect
on the creation, and on mankind in particular,
is so profound. The following messages, given at
different times, illumine some of these points.*
* For further information, it is suggested one read the Discoursesand God Speaks,
by Meher Baba.